Athletics try to sweep series against the Astros

Oakland Athletics (46-99, fifth in the AL West) vs. Houston Astros (82-64, first in the AL West)

Houston; Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Athletics: Paul Blackburn (4-4, 4.08 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 95 strikeouts); Astros: Hunter Brown (10-11, 4.84 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 162 strikeouts)

: Astros -277, Athletics +225; over/under is 9 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Oakland Athletics will look to sweep a three-game series with a victory over the Houston Astros.

Houston has gone 37-37 at home and 82-64 overall. The Astros have a 30-8 record in games when they did not allow a home run.

Oakland has a 22-52 record in road games and a 46-99 record overall. The Athletics have a 31-14 record in games when they scored at least five runs.

The teams meet Wednesday for the 13th time this season. The Astros lead the season series 9-3.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker leads the Astros with 26 home runs while slugging .506. Jeremy Pena is 14-for-44 with three doubles and two RBI over the past 10 games.

Brent Rooker leads the Athletics with 24 home runs while slugging .466. Zack Gelof is 12-for-42 with four doubles, a home run and two RBI over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 5-5, .293 batting average, 4.60 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs

Athletics: 6-4, .241 batting average, 3.74 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs

INJURIES: Astros: Ryne Stanek: 15-Day IL (ankle), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Athletics: Richard Lovelady: 60-Day IL (arm), James Kaprielian: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Austin Pruitt: 15-Day IL (forearm), JJ Bleday: 10-Day IL (knee), Angel Felipe: 15-Day IL (elbow), Freddy Tarnok: 15-Day IL (calf), Yacksel Rios: 60-Day IL (finger), Zach Jackson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Drew Rucinski: 60-Day IL (illness)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.